Tony Cascarino plays down talent of Steven Fletcher but explains how he can succeed in Marseille

In perhaps one of the shock deals of transfer deadline day Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher departed the Wearside club to join French side Marseille on loan until the end of the season.

The Scotland international has clearly not impressed his new manager Sam Allardyce and he is now all set to leave the club for nothing in the summer.

But a move to the French league was certainly a surprise. But one footballer who knows about succeeding in a shock switch to Marseille is Tony Cascarino. The former Republic of Ireland international joined l'OM from Chelsea in 1994 and scored goals for fun in France - earning the nickname Tony Goal.

"He's always scored goals. But he was unlucky at Sunderland after the injury which he came back from well. He's big but not a giant target man like [Edin] Dzeko or me -- not as aggressive. He's a good footballer. Not the quickest of players, not the tallest, not the best with his head, even if he is good in the air.

"To sum up, he doesn't have any very strong points -- an area where he's fantastic -- but he doesn't have a weakness. He's good in every area."

Cascarino continued, "He needs quick players around him, movement.

"He's good at holding the ball up and very accurate in the penalty box. He's a good footballer, who I saw at his best when he played alongside another striker."

Fletcher was a big money signing for Sunderland when they snapped him up from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2012.

However after scoring 11 goals in 30 games in his first season he struggled with injuries and form. He has scored just 23 goals in 102 appearances for the club and despite the odd good performance against local rivals Newcastle United it never really happened for him at the Stadium of Light.

His career at Sunderland now looks over and he will be hoping to catch the eye of several suitors and Marseille themselves by impressing in the second half of the Ligue 1 season.

Mathew Nash

I’m Mathew Nash a 27 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.Mathew is a correspondent for the NextGen Series, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga.